


Planetesimals

by Milo



Category: Pocket Monsters: Ruby & Sapphire & Emerald | Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Emerald Versions
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Minor Violence, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Game(s), Pre-Game(s), Silly Situations, Sleepy Cuddles, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-19
Updated: 2015-04-30
Packaged: 2018-03-13 19:25:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3393434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milo/pseuds/Milo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of Hardenshipping drabbles that go along with my main work, Terraforming. Set at various points during or after it. Updates sporadically.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Out of My League

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maxie is a mystery that Archie feels compelled to solve. Set during Act I of Terraforming.

“Oh man, did ya catch the face on that Raticate kid?”

“The second you sent out Weezing, he turned white! Bahaha, I thought he was going to die right there on the spot!”

“I know, right? All that big talk about them being the best got him nowhere!”

“Say, Phil, what plans have ya got tonight? You takin’ the missus out?”

Archie was only half listening to the group of Rockets he was tagging along with. With the day’s work over, everyone was on their way home. People funneled out from the various rooms and into the long corridor. Some aimed for the elevator and others were attempting the stairs.

Archie’s plan? The science labs.

The majority of the scientists outranked him and placed themselves on a pedestal far above his head, which meant he got a number of odd looks when he intermingled with them. What business could a grunt possibly have here, they seemed to say. Nobody had called for him. But he ignored them with a smile on his face.

It was the big room on the second floor, just up the stairs and past the warp tiles. After taking the path countless times Archie knew each step by heart. It was the route to Maxie’s workspace.

Upon reaching the door, he hesitated. Maxie wouldn’t be happy with him for being a pest for the third time that week. He took a deep breath and exhaled. Then, he waltzed into the room.

Maxie was at his desk in his usual spinning chair. He seemed to not notice Archie, too deeply engaged in his own work. His legs were crossed at the ankles and a clipboard was in his hands. His eyes were focused intensely on whatever was written on it—knowing him, it was something about that damned cave again.

For a moment Archie just stood there and watched him. A month ago this had been the irritating scientist that he’d been assigned to as a first job. The one who he felt obligated to mess with and whose hair needed to be cut desperately. Now watching him sent his heart racing and stomach flip-flopping.

There was something about Maxie’s eyes, those red eyes, something he couldn’t quite explain, that captured him. They darted from side to side, burning each line of the page. Maxie put a hand to his chin. He wrote something. The fire in his eyes seemed to flicker and a ghost of a smile appeared on his face. Archie shivered.

He hated when Maxie did that.

Archie also hated that he honestly knew next to nothing about Maxie. That he didn’t know where he was from, or why he couldn’t place his accent. That he didn’t know anything about what Maxie liked and didn’t like, or what he liked to do when he did have free time. That he didn’t know why Maxie was so angry at the entire world and would rather make himself more miserable than open up.

He’d only caught that laugh of his once, and for the life of him he couldn’t figure out how to trigger it again. Maxie didn’t like jokes, puns, or any attempt at comedy. He was a complete and utter mystery.

Maybe that was what spurred Archie on. Being rewarded with a genuine laugh was priceless. And the idea that there was some scrap of a chance that maybe, perhaps one day, Maxie might even…

“Can I help you?”

Maxie was looking at him. Archie felt his mouth go dry.

“Uh…I…um…” He scratched his head. “Just…knew you’d be working yerself to death in here. Thought I’d check fer a corpse.”

“Ha ha, very funny.” Maxie rolled his eyes and wrote something else down with more force than necessary. “Do me a favor and shut the door on your way out.”

“What? You plannin’ on staying here all night?” Archie raised an eyebrow at him. “Didn’t you make plans?”

“Why would I?”

“Well I mean…y’know.” Maxie gave him a look. “Don’t you have a date? Someone you’re planning on spending the evening with?”

“I have a lovely stack of work to get to know better.” Maxie said dryly. “But other than that, no. I’m far too busy to be off socializing with you lot.”

Oh. Deep down Archie felt relieved. It didn’t surprise him, to his knowledge Maxie didn’t even have any friends. And he for sure wasn’t on Maxie’s list of friends, something that bothered him day in and day out. Maxie was completely oblivious to him.

“If that’s all you came for, then I’d like it if you’d leave.”

“Um…”

“What?”

“You…uh, want to grab something to eat? Take a break for a ‘sec? Like…in the break room.” Archie said, gesturing to the left. “The one down the hall. Think someone brought some food today. There might still be some left.”

Maxie raised an eyebrow at him. Archie prepared for the imminent decline. But Maxie uncrossed his legs and stood up. The clipboard, which was apparently full of math problems, was set aside.

“Very well. But it had better not be pizza again. Someone keeps ordering it with anchovies and I’d like to wring their neck.”

As Maxie walked beside him, Archie was torn. Maxie’s long, thin hands were swaying back and forth at his sides. He wasn’t paying Archie any mind. Some part of him wanted to take a hold of one. Some part of him wanted to do it right in front of all the scientists with their upturned noses and sneer at them all the while. Maxie would like that. Maybe.

But he held his arms at his sides and tried to focus on the hallway beyond them rather than on the handsome redhead beside him.

Maybe he’d ask him next Valentine’s Day.


	2. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maxie knew the risks of awakening Groudon, but there was one thing he hadn’t anticipated. Set after Terraforming. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t inspired by [this fic](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3237734). Mentions violence, trauma, and character death, so be mindful of that.

In their research of Groudon’s abilities, Team Magma had calculated the scale and magnitude of the interpreted damage it would cause. They had calculated its level and abilities, and proposed a plan of action to counter it. 

But if there was one thing Maxie had not expected to take away from the Groudon encounter, it was the nightmares.

Some nights it was simple. He was frozen in place as he was slowly drowned by the magma Groudon sent spewing into the cave, silently screaming as it happened. Others, he had to watch his beloved admins, Courtney and Tabitha, be overtaken and disappear into nothingness. There were times when he even watched the young boy who had saved them all be burned to a crisp in the heat of Groudon’s chamber, or where the chamber collapsed around them as Groudon destroyed the interior of Mt. Chimney, and one occasion where a man whose face was obscured by a bandanna and goggles killed him on the spot for what he had done.

The first time it happened he woke up gasping, taking in heaving breaths and trying to stop his body from shaking. Archie had been there to comfort him and eventually he managed to sleep again. 

The third, fifth, and twelfth times, he was on his own. Archie was a heavy sleeper by nature and, on top of that, had always been overly concerned for Maxie’s well being. He didn’t want to keep worrying him.

Tonight’s dream, however, was far worse than the others.

He stood there in the cavern, Groudon in front of him roaring triumphantly. He couldn’t move again. The boy who had stopped Groudon was not there, instead being replaced by Archie. Archie was yelling at him, but he couldn’t tell what he was saying. Groudon roared and slashed out his claws. With no way to run, Maxie held out his hands in a feeble effort to block the blow. But it never reached him. Archie had blocked the hit. Those long knife-like claws tore through flesh and bone and left the man in a heap in front of of him. 

Maxie couldn’t even scream as Archie’s lifeless face stared at him in horror. The lava overtook him. Groudon roared again as the cave began its hasty collapse. He’d fucked up beyond repair, beyond the help of any apology.

He’d woken up in a cold sweat, eyes bulging and heart racing. His first response was to look at Archie. He held his breath as he waited for Archie to twitch, to make any movement at all. 

Which he did, in the form of him readjusting on the pillow. Maxie exhaled.

It wasn’t enough, though, to know that Archie was okay. He wanted Archie to wake up, be with him, to hold him. He wanted him to say that everything was okay. He couldn’t stop shaking. He pulled back the covers and moved his legs over the side of the bed, careful not to disturb one of the Mightyenas who was sleeping toward the foot of the bed in a neat little ball. He headed for the living room, where, as per the usual with nightmares, he paced. He held his arms and tried to calm himself down, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth.

Archie was okay. He was okay. Groudon wasn’t loose. It was okay.

But he still shook violently and his heart was still racing. He walked two more laps around the table. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the time—three AM. Far too early to go for a walk. Not that he would. If Archie woke up without him, he’d have a heart attack. Archie always did stupid things when he was worried about him. Perhaps that was what made the dream all that much worse. It was something Archie would do. It was something he might have done, if that encounter had gone any differently. It was entirely possible that Archie wouldn’t be here with him.

The shaking got worse.

"Maxie…?"

He turned sharply to face Archie. The other man blinked sleepily and seemed like he was only just barely conscious, but he still seemed worried. Maxie looked away again, rubbing at his eyes.

"I…didn’t mean to wake you." He said, voice shakier than he would have liked. "I was just…"

Archie put his hand on Maxie’s shoulder and squeezed it lightly.

"…Was it the nightmares again?"

At first Maxie didn’t reply. He held his arms silently as his body continued to shake, much to his dismay.

Archie also said nothing. Maxie didn’t want him to say nothing; for the life of him, he couldn’t handle Archie being silent. Not now. He shut his eyes and turned back around, latching onto Archie for dear life and catching him off guard. For a moment he simply clenched onto Archie’s shirt and buried his face into it, reminding himself that Archie was okay, that he was alive.

"Max?" Archie said, quiet and concerned.

Maxie looked up at him, tears threatening to flow once again. Memories flooded back into his mind of when they were separated, when he’d avoided and even at times hated Archie, and his chest ached. How could he have acted like that to him, for all those years? How had he ever been able to live without him?

"I…I  know I don’t deserve it…" Maxie said, voice dropping even quieter. "…But please.  _Please_ , stay.”

Archie put his hands around him gently, as if Maxie was made of porcelain glass, whle the other began to mutter the same apologies over and over again. Maxie rested his forehead on his chest and, again, tried to calm himself down. In through the nose, out through the mouth. He was fine, everything was alright, everything was normal. 

But the shaking didn’t stop.


	3. Spin Tiles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Archie asks a simple question: Do the warp tiles on the second and third floors only work with people, or do they also spin other things across the room? There’s only one way to find out. Set during Act II of Terraforming. A bit aimless and silly.

Another late night spent in the base. Another night spent with Archie complaining about how bored he was as Maxie filed paperwork. He didn’t have to be there with him, it was his day off, but Archie had decided that Maxie was more important than sleeping.

As much as he loved the man, Maxie wanted to strangle him at that moment.

"C’mon, is this really all that important? It’s like three in the morning. Nobody’s even here anymore." 

"Yes. It can’t wait. Some of these orders go out tomorrow."

As he was, technically, a junior scientist and the youngest of the bunch, it was always Maxie who was left doing the most dull and boring work at the worst hours. Dozens of papers needed to be organized and properly filed before nine o’ clock, which was when they’d be collected and sent out.

He paged through his stack. Red with the red folder, blue with the blue folder, goldenrod went to the front desk. He stuck each item in its folder. Green were for the new equipment suggestions, pink were for evaluations, then there were the—

"Hey, Max?"

He resisted the urge to groan. “ _Yes_ , Archie?”

"Y’know those warp tiles upstairs? The trap ones made to keep intruders out?"

How could he forget one of Giovanni’s stupidest ideas? It made getting to his floor three times more difficult every morning. 

"Yes, I’m familiar with them." He said. "Why do you ask?"

"Like…do ya think they only work when people step on them? Or could we…say…" He glanced down at the chair. "…spin some chairs out onto them and set them off like that?"

Maxie paused in filing for a moment. He’d never really thought about that. Honestly he wasn’t very familiar with the inner workings of the devices, other than being familiar with their basic function as annoying traps, but he had always assumed they reacted when a certain level of weight was upon them. It might be possible to set them off with enough weight from a chair. 

And yet it was  _also_  entirely possible that they responded to a heat signature instead and chairs wouldn’t work at all. A little experimenting would be needed.

"I don’t know." He said, continuing in his work. "You’ll have to try it and see."

Those were the magic words. Archie perked up, a grin spreading across his face. ”Good idea!” He got out of the chair and pushed it toward the door. Maxie turned toward him, looking surprised.

"Put my chair back."

"I’ll bring it back!" Maxie pointed to the desk. Archie sighed. "Aww, c’mon. You’re no fun, Max."

Archie slowly pushed the chair back to where it was originally. Maxie huffed and turned back toward the paperwork in his hands. For a moment he just looked at it. Then, he set it down on the table.

"…There’s some much nicer chairs in the conference room." He said. "So long as we return them before anyone else shows up, I don’t think—"

"Ha!" Archie suddenly appeared, reaching an arm around his shoulders and pulling him in close. "I knew ya couldn’t resist the opportunity of a life time! Let’s go grab us some chairs!" 

Then they were off, Archie dragging him down the hall laughing excitedly. Maxie wondered just how much he’d regret “the opportunity of a lifetime”.

 

* * *

 

"Alright, first test."

Archie set a heavy potted plant that they had borrowed from the desk by the elevators on top of a tile. After ten seconds of nothing happening, Maxie wrote down the results on his clipboard and gestured for Archie to remove it.

"The plant weighed how much, again?"

"Only ten pounds." Maxie said, writing that down as well. "Which means not just anything will set it off. If the tiles are weight sensitive, they’ll probably be set to at least fifty, give or take. Enough to set them off when a child stands on them." He gestured to the chair. "We can’t weigh the chair properly, but I’d estimate it at around that. It might work."

"Sweet!"

The office chairs they’d selected were might higher quality than Maxie’s rickety old thing in the labs. Finely tailored with leather and proper wheels, they were comfortable, fancy, and easy to move around. They also weighed a ton. Archie carefully pushed one out onto the tiles.

The panels lit up and took the chair flailing and spinning across the room. Due to its wheels, it couldn’t properly stop on the regular floor panels. It kept twirling around as it raced across the room in a mad dash. 

Eventually it disappeared beyond one of the walls. Maxie heard a crash.

"Arceus, did you  _see_  that?!” Archie was howling with laughter. “That was so fucking awesome!” He gestured wildly. “Gimme another chair, I’m takin’ this thing for a joy ride!”

"Archie, I don’t think that’s a—"

Too late. He was already in the process of propelling himself away onto the tiles with the second chair. Maxie put a hand to his forehead and hurried over to him, grabbing the handle of the chair in an effort to stop him.

"C’mon, Max! It’ll be fun!"

"Did you not hear that crash?" Maxie said. "Do you not even think there is remotely any danger in crossing a floor of traps with a—HWAH!"

One of the wheels of the chair caught a warp tile. The tile lit up. The chair propelled forward onto the maze of traps. Before he knew it, Archie had pulled him into the chair as well. As the tiles moved the chair at a high speed in a straight line, the spinning aspect of the chair left them twirling around and around.

Archie was cackling. Maxie, never the one for roller coasters or high-speed rides, was just trying not to hurl.

"I hate you," he yelled, over the noise of the warp tiles and Archie’s laughter, " _so_  much right now!”

The chair lurched to the right. Then to the left. Then up, then toward a wall. Then away from the wall. Maxie could barely see anything as they continued to spin and the entire third floor of the Rocket base blurred together as a mix of color.

Then they found their last lab rat, the first desk chair. Or, more specifically, collided with it and went flying right out of the chair. They landed in a heap near by the stairway. Archie immediately popped back up.

"Round two! Round two!!" He said, though he was clearly shaken by the experience.

"You…you can’t be serious."

Maxie stood up, wobbling and swaying as his head continued to swirl. He looked back at the chair wreck. The first chair was on its side, while the other was still standing upright on a warp tile. It was still spinning around and around, squeaking loudly as it did so, as the tile hummed and tried to get it to move.

Maxie squinted at it. It was so, so stupid. The humming, the spinning chair, the squeaking, Archie doing an unintentional dizziness dance as he tried to figure out where the warp panels were. It was three in the morning. He held his head as he burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha—This—hahaha!—fucking—!" Maxie tried to stop himself. It wasn’t working. Archie collapsed on the floor, smiling up at him. "This is the stupidest thing we’ve ever done!"

"Remember, Max," Archie held up a shaky hand, "It was in the name of  _science_!”

Somehow that just made him laugh more.


	4. Intruder Alert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Archie has a close encounter with the one person who decides to take Team Rocket head on. And it doesn’t go very well. Set during Act II part II of Terraforming.
> 
> Warning: there's some blood and violence in this chapter. Just so you know.

“Archie, boss needs ya out in front.”

Archie was helping Maxie count and sort through stocks of Pokeballs to be distributed out to newer grunts, namely those containing Grimer, Rattata, and Koffing. They had just gotten through one of the boxes before a Rocket grunt appeared in the doorway.

“What for?” Archie said. “I’m kinda busy.”

The grunt pointed up. “There’s some kind of fight going on upstairs.” He said. “Can’t tell what’s going on, but I think there are people battling Pokemon in the casino.”

Archie raised an eyebrow. He gave Maxie an apologetic look before he walked toward the door. “I’ll check it out and be right back, ‘kay?”

Maxie only nodded before Archie left the room. Fights in the casino were pretty normal. Usually one or more grunts got sent up there to throw out some drunk man who was harassing the women at the counter. But Archie had never heard of actual Pokemon battles inside of the building. It was strictly prohibited.

“So,” Archie began, “what kind of guy are we dealing with? Is he drunk?”

The grunt shrugged. “If ya ask me, it’s probably just that old geezer from the house next to us. Told him time and time again to pack up his shit and move elsewhere, but the damn fool won’t listen to us.” He shook his head. “That’s prime real estate there. We could expand this dump.”

“Ehh…I don’t know, he doesn’t seem like the type.” Archie said. “Does he even have any Pokemon?”

When they reached the stairs, there was a loud booming sound. They quickened their pace and hurried up the stairs in a rush. There was a Rocket grunt holding his exhausted Koffing in his arms as he ran past them. Archie’s eyes widened when he spotted who had beaten him.

It was a kid. Just some average, ordinary kid. Archie reckoned that he wasn’t any older than ten due to his size and build. His eyes were intense, but his frame was shaking. 

What was this kid doing?

The other grunt beside him pulled out the whip he had at his side, making Archie flinch.

“Hey—!” He said, gripping the other man’s arm. “Easy, man, he’s just a kid!”

“Yeah? An intruder’s still an intruder.” He said with a growl, unfurling the whip. The kid seized up but didn’t move. “Clearly his mama didn’t teach him a thing ‘re two about trespassin’ where he’s not supposed to. Looks like he’ll have to learn the hard way, huh?”

From behind the kid came a Pokemon, Jolteon. The spiny Eevee evolution bared its teeth at them and bristled as the grunt came closer to it. The grunt laughed.

“Oh, you want to fight first? Well, I’ve got a Pokemon too! We’ll both teach you a lesson in pain!”

He released a Raticate into the casino. Archie wanted to say something about the rules prohibiting Pokemon battles, but knew he’d be ignored. The two Pokemon stared each other down for a long moment, growling and hissing. Then came a command from the kid.

“Jolteon, Quick Attack!”

With an incredible speed, the Jolteon rushed around the long tile floor, around their feet, weaving to and fro and confusing the Raticate before it struck with its sharp claws. The Raticate let out a squeak of surprise.

“Raticate, show it who’s boss!” The grunt called out. “Super Fang!”

The Raticate complied, catching the Jolteon in its teeth before it could escape back and landing what looked like a very painful bite on its front leg. Jolteon retaliated with its back legs, raking at Raticate’s stomach until it could pull away. It jumped back toward its trainer, though the intense damage from the Super Fang attack seemed to have left its mark.

The space between the stairs and where the boy was standing was narrow at best and would be bad for any kind of fight, Pokemon or otherwise. Especially if they wanted minimal harm done.

“C’mon,” Archie urged, “we’re gonna scare people if we start fightin’ in here. Can’t we take this outside?”

“Ha! Yer soft, Archie. Real soft. That’s why Petrel’s never gonna promote ya.” The grunt snickered to himself. Raticate did the same. “Let me show you how a real Rocket takes care of business!”

He barked out some orders to his Pokemon and Raticate leapt into action, charging at Jolteon. The Jolteon jumped into the air, as the young trainer commanded, before landing a series of powerful kicks on Raticate.

Archie noticed a crowd forming near the desk. Old customers, new customers, maybe even people who had heard the yelling from outside. The woman at the desk looked nervous and gestured for him to do something, to which he held up his hands.

“Bite it now!”

“Dodge, and then Double Kick again!”

The two Pokemon continued to pummel each other in a rush of gnashing teeth, clawing, and growling. People were talking on the other end of the hall, but Archie only heard it as a series of whispers. Team Rocket? Team Rocket was there? Who was that little boy? His eyes darted between the nameless grunt in front of him to the people, unsure of what to do.

An instant later, Raticate was sent flying. The rat Pokemon was hurled straight back into its trainer by a powerfully delivered kick. The grunt yelped as he was thrown back with his Pokemon and toppled down the stairs, yelling curses the entire way down.

That left Archie alone with the intruder.

“…Hey, look.” He held up his hands. “I don’t like beatin’ up kids. Can’t ya just go home? What’s yer beef with us anyway?”

Jolteon walked over, or more accurately limped over, to its trainers side. The boy pet it on the head, telling it that it had done a good job. Had the situation been different, Archie might have smiled.

“…It’s Rockets who hurt Pokemon.” The boy said at last. “I see you stealing them, beating them, and working them to death. And people just go along with it!” Archie tensed up. “Everywhere I go, I see people and Pokemon hurt by you, homes ruined, lives ruined. The police don’t do anything!  _Nobody_ does anything!”

The crowd exchanged glances with each other. Archie gave them a hard look telling them to disperse immediately, which they did in a matter of minutes. The boy stared at him. He was serious, deadly serious, but he was still shaking. The fact that he was even talking back to a bunch of adults probably had him nervous beyond belief.

Archie had to hand it to him, the kid had guts.

“Yeah.” Archie said. “I ain’t denyin’ that we do some real messed up stuff. I don’t like it much either.” The boy looked skeptical. Archie didn’t blame him. “But comin’ in here like this and beatin’ people up ain’t the answer. Not everyone in there’s like that guy ya just pummeled, or like the grunts we’ve got runnin’ errands. It’s dangerous.”

Jolteon began to growl again. Archie glanced at it. Though it clearly was getting tired now, looking scuffed up and bruised from attacks, it still looked like it was brimming with energy. Like a Jolteon that had just evolved. Maybe it had.

“Why should I listen to you? You’re probably just lying.” The boy said. “And I’m not stopping until you’re all gone.” He nodded to Jolteon, and the Pokemon poised for an attack. “Send out your Pokemon, I know you have them!”

With a huff, Archie reached for one of the Pokeballs on his belt. Mightyena wasn’t with him, Carvanha was useless without a ready source of water, and that left Golbat, who wouldn’t be too effective against an Electric-type. But if Archie didn’t at least try to send the kid away, then he’d end up going straight into the hive of Beedrill. There were dozens of Rockets in the base. 

There was no way that a kid and his Pokemon could handle all of that.

“It’s too bad we’re meetin’ under these circumstances.” Archie said, releasing Golbat. “Yer pretty tough. Might’ve been fun to battle ya for real.” He pointed to Jolteon. “Golbat, Wing Attack!”

In the confined space, it was difficult for Golbat to get high up in the air. But it managed with what it had and surged forward at Jolteon. But Golbat was no match for Jolteon’s incredible speed, and the little yellow Pokemon rushed out of the way in a blur.

“Jolteon, Quick Attack!”

From Golbat’s side, Jolteon rammed into it. The large bat let out a hiss, but was not overly affected by the attack like Raticate had been. Archie figured there was a serious gap in experience between the two of them, especially if the trainer he was fighting was new. That would leave the poor kid at a disadvantage.

Golbat retaliated with a Bite attack, which managed to miss the smaller, speedier Pokemon again. That was the downside of battling a Jolteon, what the little Pokemon lacked in size and strength it made up for in speed.

Both Archie and the other trainer yelled out commands, but each Pokemon met each other with mixed results. Jolteon was simply too hard to hit, and Golbat was too experienced to be knocked out so easily. 

Archie was surprised that Jolteon didn’t have any Electric-type moves, which further supported the idea that his Jolteon was newly evolved and still had yet to adjust to its new techniques, save for its incredible running abilities. Archie wondered if the kid even knew how to control it properly.

“Double Kick, now!”

Jolteon came at Golbat once more.

Golbat dodged out of the way.

But the same couldn’t be said about Archie.

Jolteon collided with him. A powerful hind leg rammed right into the arm he held up to protect himself, while the other raked at Archie’s face right between his eyes, tearing flesh and breaking cartilage. Archie stumbled back with a loud yell. He clutched his nose with his good hand as blood trickled down his face in streams. His arm was on fire, burning and searing pain erupting from it.

Jolteon jumped back, leaving trails of red on the floor from its claws. Golbat, noticing its master’s distress, hurried to Archie’s side, clicking and trilling and overall looking distressed. Someone leftover from the crowd yelled for someone, anyone, to call for medical help. Archie clutched his face, gasping and trying not to seem too pitiful.

He eyed the trainer across from him. The boy looked absolutely horrified, face pale, and hands shaking as they moved to cover his face. If it had been anyone else, they would have strangled him. If it was anyone else, the kid would never touch another Pokeball again.

The kid had no idea what he was getting into, did he?

“…Hey, kid.” Archie said in between gasping breaths. “I can’t stop ya from goin’ in there. But I can tell ya—it’s gonna be rough if ya do go after us. If yer not ready, ya can always turn around and leave.”

“…N…no.” The boy stuttered, shaking his head. “N-No.”

That was when Archie noticed the other Pokeballs the boy had, the ones still on his belt. He had five more plus the one that held Jolteon. Maybe he’d be okay, if all his Pokemon were like that Jolteon.

But for one kid to take down all of Team Rocket? That was too much for even him to believe.

“…Be careful, lil’ scamp.” Archie said. “And if ya see a scraggly lookin’ guy in there with a purple hairdo then give him my regards. He’s behind on my paycheck this week.”

Too nervous to say anything more, the boy simply hurried past Archie with Jolteon in tow. Archie watched him disappear down the stairs and off into the darkness of the Rocket Hideout with a long sigh, ruined white glove still holding his shredded face together.

Maxie was going to kill him.


	5. Space Isn’t the Answer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maxie gets a bit strange when he’s ill. Tissues are thrown, rocks are licked, and Mew is not from space. Set after the events of Terraforming.

“Had enough soup?”

“Yes.”

“Water? How about water? And cough drops? Tissues?”

“ _Yes_ , Archie, I’m fine.” Maxie said with a sniffle. “Arceus, you’re fretting over me like a Kangaskhan would over its child.”

“If ya had the common sense to rest up instead of workin’ yerself to death, I wouldn’t be here.” Archie said. 

Maxie was probably right, but the worrying was warranted. Earlier that day, Archie had received a call from a desperate Tabitha who couldn’t pry his boss away from paperwork long enough for him to get proper food and bed rest. The grunts were worried for their jobs, and even the combined willpower of Courtney and Tabitha couldn’t convince Maxie that his health was more important.

That’s where Archie came in.

Stubborn as a Camerupt with a temper to match, even while feverish Maxie was a force to be reckoned with. But Archie had his experience with the man, and he knew that if he took Maxie far enough away from work and threw a blanket over him, he’d give up. He’d be grouchy about it later, but at least by then he’d be in better shape.

That was how they ended up in the Magma Base’s sleeping quarters, far enough away from Maxie’s office that it’d be a chore for him to get back but close enough that he felt comfortable enough to rest.

“Be happy I picked out the bed with the TV.” Archie said as he switched it on. “Picked out a channel I thought you’d like watchin’.”

Maxie narrowed his eyes at Archie and then looked at the TV, squinting, before he frowned.

“Is this the channel that tries to convince the public that Clefairy are aliens?”

Archie looked on with him, catching glimpses of a show about an island in the southern hemisphere. “Maybe? I don’t watch this channel much.” he said. Then, he reached out to pat Maxie on the shoulder. “I’m gonna be right over here next to ya just in case ya need anything.”

“I hired a series of grunts just for that purpose, Archie.” Maxie said. ”I don’t need you, too.”

“Yeah, well, that’s the problem. Nobody’s gonna say no to ya when yer their boss. Nobody in this base has got the willpower to keep ya grounded like I do.”

Archie settled on the bed beside Maxie’s, picking up a book from the end table on ancient stone carvings from Johto. Not his first choice in material, but it’d do. Maxie shifted around in the bed multiple times, sometimes muttering, sometimes glaring at Archie, and sometimes reaching for another tissue. Eventually he settled down. And by then Archie had become engrossed in the book.

It wasn’t until the television had something to add that Archie was brought back to the real world.

“… _Mew is said the origin of all Pokemon life, though this rumor has yet to be confirmed by science…_ ”

“Mew, that little  _shit_.” Archie looked up from his book. Maxie was glaring at the television. “Thinks it’s better than everyone else but I—” he was cut off when he sneezed rather loudly. “Hya _choo_!”

“What was that?”

Maxie looked at Archie and then at the TV, which had a large picture of Mew up on it. “That little fucker….thinks it’s better than me. Ohhh no.” he said, voice changed by his stuffed nose. “The great Maxie’s onto you!”

“ _Experts believe that Mew’s origins lie in ruins based on a few tropical islands. Explorations, cameras, and researchers have yet to uncover any evidence of Mew’s existence, and yet_ …”

“Well of  _course_  you can’t find it.” Maxie said with a groan. “Mews don’t walk out in public, they’re in caves. Everything pink that explodes lives in  _caves_!” When the TV continued on without him, he tossed a series of tissues at it. “You’ll never find Mew walking around like that!”

Archie snorted. “Max, they can’t hear you.”

“I  _know_  that. If they could hear me, the  _great_  Maxie, they wouldn’t be acting so  _stupid_.” Maxie said said, blowing his nose before continuing. “Arceus damn this miserable virus.” He set the tissue aside on the bed. “Next thing you know these people will start insisting that Mew came from  _space_.”

“Y’know Max,” Archie started, “there’s this ongoing theory that  _all_  Pokemon came from space originally. And they say there’s some real good stuff behind it.”

“Hmph.” Maxie said, rubbing at his nose to keep from sneezing again. “That’s our answer to everything these days, isn’t it? Clefairy came from space, Pokemon came from space— _Devon_ came from space.” He lifted his arms up and mimed the building coming down out of space and landing on the red blankets. “Just…just fell right out of space…no explanation whatsoever…oh, definitely, this theory is the best! Mr. Stone and his son, they’re both aliens! Breaking news: blue hair is unnatural! Clefairy are the cause!”

Archie couldn’t help himself. He started laughing. “Arceus, Max, stop—!”

“And I suppose Groudon and Kyogre flew in on their flying saucer too! Expert terraformers, no doubt!” Maxie wasn’t paying any attention to Archie now, too ingrained in the program. “…These people! Don’t start showing me fossils, I’ll— _I’ll_  show you fossils! You don’t just walk out into the desert and find these things laying in the sand!”

“Isn’t that what all the kids are sayin’, though?”

Maxie squinted at him and pointed an accusing finger. “Don’t get smart with me, Archibald Aogiri!” he said. “Fossils are only made in certain ways in certain materials. These places couldn’t possibly be so rich in fossil deposits—I spent seven hours,  _seven_  hours, in the field one day in my college years licking the damn rocks in a rubble pile to look for bone—!”

“Holy shit.” Archie’s face contorted as he tried not to laugh again. “Maximilian Matsubusa, leader of Team Magma, champion  _rock licker_.”

“That is a legitimate method of telling bone from rock!” Maxie waved a fist at him, but in his feverish state it wasn’t so threatening.

Archie continued to laugh, clutching at his chest, unable to calm down. Maxie mumbled something under his breath, sniffed, and then looked back at the TV. He glared at the screen.

“Mew  _isn’t_  from space!”


	6. Contemplation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They’re back from the cave, and Archie has some thoughts while Maxie sleeps. Just a little moment set between Act I Part III and Act II Part I.

There was a phone call. There was an explosion. There was a legendary Pokemon. There was also a kiss.

And somehow that chain of events led them into Archie’s house. Or, more specifically, into his bed. Maxie was passed out beside him, facing the opposite direction. Archie found himself right up alongside him, arms wrapped around the other man’s torso.

It was still so surreal, as if Archie could fall asleep and things would be back to the way they used to be. Maxie would go back to work, he would go back to work, and all this business with Mew would turn out to be dreamed up.

He rested his head up against Maxie’s. Were they a thing now? Together? It wasn’t as if they’d talked about it. Things were just…happening. He didn’t really know if Maxie would decide the next morning that none of that had really happened, that everything was simply “part of the moment”. That was always a possibility.

He moved to touch Maxie’s long red hair that was draped over the pillow. It was slightly singed from the explosion, but was still quite soft. He twirled it around his fingers and stroked it. Maxie didn’t react.

Was it really okay that he touched Maxie like this? Maxie was always telling him off about personal space.

Yet he’d held Maxie that night. He’d gotten to curl his fingers into those long red locks. And Maxie’s hands–oh, Arceus. Finally being able to intertwine his hand with Maxie’s long, spindly fingers was something magical. And Maxie had smiled. Not smirked,  _smiled_. It was genuine, happy, and ridiculously contagious. Archie found himself smiling again just thinking about it.

He moved his hand from Maxie’s hair. Maxie shifted a bit, sighing in his sleep. 

Maxie seemed a lot smaller now that Archie could finally touch him. The combination of sweater and coat added a lot to his figure, without them the man was practically skin and bones. Probably a result of him overworking himself. He needed to get on Maxie about that.

Mightyena rested down at the foot of the bed, curled up in a tight little ball. Archie could’ve sworn that it was snoring lightly. Numel was off in the corner in a little bed, asleep. It had been an exciting day for everyone.

The look on Nurse Joy’s face when they had stumbled into the Pokemon Center a little after one in the morning with the Pokemon in their hands was incredible. 

Archie had to borrow Maxie’s lab coat, which fit him poorly, in an effort to hide the Team Rocket insignia. Maxie, for the first time in all the time he’d known him, had stumbled over his words to come up with an explanation for what had happened. Archie couldn’t remember what it was that he’d said. He had been too focused on how often Maxie had looked at him while they waited.

The trip back home was wrapped in a haze. The only thing that had been important to him at the time was Maxie’s decision to stay with him. And the fact that Maxie had willingly chosen the bed over the couch. And the fact that Maxie didn’t mind the cuddling. Maxie used to tell him off for so much as touching his shoulder.

“Hmm…”

The sound came from Maxie. A moment later, Maxie was prying himself out from Archie’s arms. Archie didn’t do anything to stop him, but he did watch as Maxie got up, switched the lamp on, rubbed his back, and then left the bedroom. He sat up on the bed. Mightyena lifted his head, yawned, and looked at him, looking confused at having been woken up.

Maxie wasn’t…leaving for the couch, was he? He hadn’t changed his mind?

Archie waited. And waited. Should he say something? Was it the right moment to talk to Maxie about this?

Then, the sink in the kitchen ran. He heard Maxie’s footsteps lead back down the hall, and Maxie reappeared in the bedroom with a cup of water in his hand. Archie looked at him, surprised. Maxie gave blinked sleepily and squinted at him.

“…What are you staring at?”

“Nothin’.” Archie said. He scratched the back of his neck. “Guess I just thought you were…I dunno, headin’ for the couch.”

Maxie frowned. 

“Your couch is a terrible place to sleep.”

With that, he settled back down on the bed and sipped at the water. Archie eyed him carefully. Maxie seemed oblivious to his discomfort, unaware that he was having any worried thoughts. Then again it was really late and Maxie looked like he could care less if the room was on fire. Archie took in a breath.

“…Hey, Max?”

Maxie lowered the water and looked at him. “What?”

“I…er…” Archie glanced away, turning to look at Mightyena instead. “We…haven’t really talked much tonight. What even are we right now?”

“Are you asking about our relationship?” Maxie said. Archie nodded. Maxie yawned and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “…It’s four o’clock in the morning Archie, do you  _really_  want to talk about this right now?”

“Yes.”

Maxie let out a long sigh. He set aside the cup of water on the nightstand. “Very well then.” he said. “Four o’clock in the morning it is. What are your thoughts?”

“I just…was thinkin’ that we hadn’t really talked about this. Ya never really told me what ya were thinkin’.”

“I was a bit distracted tonight.” Maxie said, giving him a look. “If you couldn’t tell.”

“S’why I didn’t ask earlier.”

“Mm. A solid point.” Maxie rested back against the headboard and looked off at the wall. “I can say I didn’t see things turning out the way they have. But it isn’t terrible.”

“Isn’t terrible.” Archie repeated. “S’that supposed to be a good thing? Usually yer supposed to enjoy stuff like this.”

“I  _am_  enjoying it.” Maxie said. “Really.”

“Really and truly?”

“Yes. It’s great. The kiss was nice. I’m okay with whatever the hell is happening right now.” Maxie said. “Now can we  _please_  go back to bed?”

Archie wasn’t satisfied with that answer, but he nodded. Maxie switched the light off. As Maxie tucked himself back in, Archie found himself unsure about whether or not it was okay to cuddle up with Maxie again. He reached out a hand, then retracted it. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. Eventually he simply laid down.

About a minute later, Maxie turned over and looked at him.

“…Oh, for the love of Arceus, Archie, just get over here.”

Archie happily complied.


End file.
